Excellent, Easy to Use Formulas

We frequently get asked by our customers to help them solve problems they are having with their products. In some cases we find that they are using very complicated formulas that are hard to duplicate exactly each time. It is ok if you are making 100 candles or so at a time, but if the best case scenario happens and your customers order 5000 candles, it becomes difficult to have help come in and duplicate very complicated formulas to achieve consistent results. Old formulas often had many additives because they did not have access to the different types and melt points of candle waxes and materials we have today. If they wanted to make a long burning pillar candle, they had to take their one wax they had available and stoke the stearic (and other stuff) to it to get it hard enough. Now we have all kinds of various melt points of paraffin waxes that we can buy reasonably and it does not take complicated additives and hard to follow formulas to make it happen!

The following will make it easy for you to be able to tell which wax or additive is used for what product. I use these formulas so I know they will be easy for you to use and they will produce an excellent product every time. I test our candle dyes and colors in these formulas so you will also have consistent colors.

Container Fill

I used to use our R-25 wax and 30% petro (vaseline) or crisco to make a one pour wax. (14 oz of liquid melted wax and 6 oz of liquid melted petro or crisco) If I was out of petro (vaseline) and crisco, I used 30% Mineral Oil (Baby oil or white oil) . If you use mineral oil you have to also add 1 teaspoon of vybar 260 so the wax will hold the additional oil without bleeding. I then would color (5 to 15 drops) and scent with 1 to 1.5 oz of candle fragrance oil.

I now use J-50 or J-223, or Our Soy Wax for Containers because it is easier and cheaper to use than buying the wax and petro components and mixing them myself. I use 1/4 teaspoon of vybar 260 if the J-50 does not hold the fragrance and bleeds. The vybar 260 is not necessary unless you use too much fragrance or you get an extra oily lot of the J-50. Wax lots will vary slightly from time to time, check to be sure before making up large quantities of something. Heat and pour at 170 - 190F for best results. The vybar is not needed in our soy, it holds as much fragrance as you want to use without bleeding.

Votive Blend

I have not been a big fan of most of the one pour votive blends I have tested. I am not knocking one pour votive blends, but I personally don't care for them. It always seemed like I was making lard candles with it and I would rather use the following.

R-25 wax or a wax with approx a 120 -125 melt point. I use 1 teaspoon of the lower melt point vybar 260 per pound, ( 1 lb is approx 20 oz liquid), I then would color (5 to 15 drops), and scent right before I poured with 1 to 1.5 oz of fragrance. This makes a great votive and burns and throws great. Very easy to color. Heat and pour at 170 - 190F for best results

Tart or Melts Blend

This is the same as your votive blend

R-25 wax or a wax with approx a 120 -125 melt point. I use 1 teaspoon of the lower melt point vybar 260 per pound, I then would color (5 to 15 drops) and scent with 1 to 1.5 oz of fragrance. This makes a great tart/melt that burns and throws great. Very easy to color. Heat and pour at 170 - 190F for best results. You can use our Soy Wax for this as well but no additives are needed. Just color and scent.

Molded Candles

I use a slightly higher melt point of wax for molded candles.

I use the R-40 wax with a melt point of 138-143. I use 1 teaspoon of the higher melt point Vybar 103. I then would color (5 to 15 drops) and scent with 1 to 1.5 oz of fragrance. This makes a great candle that burns and throws great. Very easy to color. Heat and pour at 170 - 190F for best results. Use a wick sized appropriate to make the candle burn down evenly without overflowing over the top of the candle. Season your mold the first few times with mold release powder in this wax blend.

Pillars

I use a higher melt point wax for molded pillars. I use the R-45 with a melt point of 143-149. I use 1 teaspoon of the higher melt point Vybar 103. I then would color (5 to 15 drops) and scent with 1 to 1.5 oz of fragrance. This makes a great pillar and burns and throws great. Very easy to color. Heat and pour at 170 - 190F for best results. Use a wick sized appropriate to make the candle burn down evenly without overflowing over the top of the candle. Season your mold the first few times with mold release powder in this wax blend.

Hurricane Shells

I use a higher melt point wax for Hurricane Shells. I use the R-45 with a melt point of 143-149 at about 50% or 10 oz, and 50 % (or bal of the pound) of the C-15 hardener. This will give you a melt point of approx 185. (see how to figure melt points) You can also use the Universal Additive if you want an almost clear shell. I then would color (if desired) Shells are not normally scented, and if so, only slightly. This makes a great shell that is nearly clear. Heat and pour at 190 - 210F for best results. Use a wick sized appropriate to make the candle burn down evenly without overflowing over the top of the candle. Season your mold the first few times with mold release powder in this wax blend.

Refresher Oils for Potpourri and Light Bulb Rings

Making Potpourri Refresher and light Bulb Ring oil is very easy and profitable. Use the Refresher Oil Base in the premixed bases section. Mix from 10 parts refresher oil base to 1 part fragrance. Some make it stronger and use up to 3 parts fragrance to 10 parts refresher oil. You decide what strength you wish to use. Our tests with 10 refresher oil to 1 part fragrance had customers raving and they loved it. Most are not currently using even that much concentration. We have found most Potpourri Refreshers on the market to be weak at best. No need to color, just package in small 1/2 oz amber bottles with your label. You can make up small batches with a dropper and fill remaining bottle with refresher oil, or weigh out fragrance into a 16 or 32 oz bottle and fill balance with refresher oil base to fill lots of smaller bottles on demand. Never use straight fragrance concentrate for refresher oils. This can be dangerous for people who do not know how to properly use and store the materials. The undiluted fragrance oils are to be used in manufacturers settings only where they are handled and used properly and kept away from children and other hazards. They are much too concentrated and can be dangerous in a non commercial setting.

Body Splash / Linen Sprays/ or Air Freshener Sprays

Making Body Splash, Air Freshener, or Linen Spray is very easy and very popular. Use the Body Splash Base in the Premixed Bases section. Mix up to 9% by weight of Fragrance. Fill Balance with the premixed Body Splash Base. You can use more than that but the formula clouds and is no longer clear and also the fragrance concentration will be too much for normal consumer use.

Most Fragrances for Body Splash and direct skin contact will only need 3% or less by weight (slightly less than 1/2 oz in a pound ie 13.59 grams) Do not use your oil based Candle Colors for this.Color (Tint slightly) with water based FD&C colors only. Candle colors are oil based, will not mix properly, will stain peoples skin permanently like pen ink, and is not recommended for skin applications.

For Air Freshener Sprays

You can make it stronger but try to keep it under 9%. The formula disperses completely in the air when sprayed and the fragrance is the only thing that will linger in the air, never reaching the floor. If you make it too strong, it will hang in the air and burn your eyes when you walk through where you had previously sprayed. Color (Tint slightly) with water based FD&C colors only. Do not use your oil based Candle Colors for this. Candle colors are oil based, will not mix properly, and can stain surfaces if sprayed on them.

For Linen Sprays

A 5% fragrance concentration is nice and the base will not stain linens. Do not use your oil based Candle Colors for this.Color (slightly tint) with water based FD&C colors. Check to be sure if you color your linen spray that your color concentration is very slight so the color does not stain fabrics. Check to be sure the fragrance you use is not dark as well as it can stain linens if you use too much.

Our in house Soaps and lotion bases will be completed shortly and they will be up as well for suggested fragrance loads and etc. Let us know if you would like additional formulas and we will try them out here ourselves and them up here for you to use.